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Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in West Bengal

34%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)Very high

West Bengal ranks 12th of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 32%, in villages 34%.

20%children under 5 wasted
32%children under 5 underweight
69%children 6-59 months anaemic
23%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

West Bengal in NFHS-5, town and village

MeasureWest BengalUrbanRuralNFHS-4India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)33.8%32.1%34.4%32.5%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)20.3%20.2%20.4%20.3%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted7.1%7.9%6.9%6.5%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight32.2%28.7%33.5%31.6%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight4.3%6%3.6%2.1%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic69%63%71.3%54.2%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic71.4%65.1%74.4%62.5%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)14.8%9.5%17.4%21.3%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet23.4%24.9%22.9%19.6%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed53.3%51.2%54%52.3%63.7%

Child stunting by district in West Bengal

Children under five too short for their age, NFHS-5 district factsheets (2019-21).

  1. 1Uttar Dinajpur45%
  2. 2Maldah41%
  3. 3Murshidabad40%
  4. 4Paschim Barddhaman40%
  5. 5Birbhum37%
  6. 6Puruliya37%
  7. 7South Twenty Four Parganas37%
  8. 8Darjeeling34%
  9. 9Purba Barddhaman33%
  10. 10North Twenty Four Parganas32%
  11. 11Dakshin Dinajpur32%
  12. 12Paschim Medinipur31%
  13. 13Bankura30%
  14. 14Kolkata30%
  15. 15Hugli29%
  16. 16Jalpaiguri29%
  17. 17Koch Bihar29%
  18. 18Haora28%
  19. 19Nadia26%
  20. 20Purba Medinipur26%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in West Bengal?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 34% of children under five in West Bengal were stunted, 20% wasted and 32% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in West Bengal?

Stunting rose from 33% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 34% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 1.3 points.

Which district of West Bengal has the most malnutrition?

Uttar Dinajpur had the highest share of stunted children in NFHS-5, 45%, and Purba Medinipur the lowest, 26%.

How many children are anaemic in West Bengal?

69% of children aged 6 to 59 months in West Bengal were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 71% of women aged 15 to 49.

Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, IIPS and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; districts from NFHS-5 district factsheets, tabulated by pratapvardhan/NFHS-5 (CC BY 4.0).

Malnutrition in other states